Welcoming Nick Liapis, Our New Cultivation Manager 🌱

As we step into our eighth year of hemp production, we’re excited to share a meaningful addition to the Fingerboard Farm team. Please join us in welcoming Nick Liapis as our new Cultivation Manager.

Nick will be working alongside me as we move into an ambitious new chapter: pilot-scale, in-ground cultivation operations designed to elevate our genetics, improve water efficiency, and prepare our farm for expanded, value-added production.

A Season of Growth & Innovation

This year, our cultivation focus is rooted in both stewardship and scale. Together with Nick, we’re advancing:

• 🌿 Best-in-class genetics

• 💧 Water-saving irrigation and fertigation systems

• 🌾 Seed-to-harvest systems that support drying, curing, and biomass preparation

• 🧪 Minor cannabinoid extraction pathways, supported by value-added agriculture grant opportunities

Nick’s experience arrives at exactly the right moment as we align our long-term vision with thoughtful, scalable practices.

Meet Nick

Nicholas G. Liapis, J.D. brings a rare and powerful blend of policy, business, and hands-on cultivation expertise to our farm.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University, Nick launched and successfully sold his first small business in Virginia. He then transitioned to Capitol Hill, where his work intersected with cannabis policy and advocacy.

In 2011, Nick joined NORML in Washington, D.C., beginning as a Legal Clerk and later serving as Head Fundraiser following law school.

Nick earned his Juris Doctorate from Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, with a focus on criminal law—bringing a strong regulatory and compliance lens to every phase of his work.

From Policy to Production

In 2020, Nick made a pivotal shift from the insurance industry—where he served as Vice President of Employee Benefits—into plant-touching operations, joining Green Leaf Medical (gLeaf) as a Cultivation Assistant.

In under four years, he advanced to Cultivation Manager for The Cannabist Company in West Virginia, and later joined Curaleaf in 2025.

There, Nick:

• Managed multiple cultivation rooms

• Achieved 144.7 grams per square foot, ranking among the company’s top three yields

• Delivered some of the highest bud-to-trim ratios on record

• Improved profitability and earned multiple Outstanding Employee Awards

Looking Ahead

Now based in Montgomery County, Maryland, Nick brings his experience home to help guide our hemp program into its next evolution—one grounded in efficiency, quality, and resilience.

We’re thrilled to have Nick on board and look forward to sharing more as this season unfolds. Please join us in giving him a warm welcome. 🌱

Here’s to smart systems, strong genetics, and another year of growing with intention.